It's not the same
by Vordigan
Summary: What we didn't see from the episode "On The Straight And Arrow" We will see what happened after Max and Cherry left Phoebe alone with her thoughts, while Max tries to take advantage of Cherry by becoming her friend. But what is this that Max has with blondes?
1. Someone need the clock turn back?

The idea came to his mind as fast as a thunder, the resemblance with his last name was just a coincidence. Since he got that call he has spent almost the whole morning trying to find a way to take all of the band instruments for the presentation he could get, which was going to be in a few days. Since he arrived to school, it was all he cared about. But when he saw his sister talking with her friend Cherry at the hallways of Hiddenville High, he got closer in order to hear them and have a better understanding of what was happening.

It wasn't that hard for him to take the opportunity he encountered with, because when he found out what his sister and the blonde girl were saying, he knew exactly what he needed do. And he just had to make a question:

"Someone need the clock turn back?" He asked the distracted girl.

And that's how it all started. Just some seconds later Max completely took Cherry's attention, cause after she saw how the young villain decided to help her with her problem, she was now walking next to her best friend's brother, while she was smiling at him and explaining everything he needed to know about the car he secretly craved to get. They got away of the lockers, talking to each other like they've never did since the day they met, a year ago.

However, none of them could realize that behind them, a lonely girl with wavy hair and a confused look, was watching them very slowly as they walked away from her. Phoebe wasn't able to understand how suddenly she was ignored by her best friend, just to leave and go talk with Max. She put big efforts to not give it any importance, but for some reason she couldn't stop looking at them, especially when Max put his arm around the girl, which made her feel an awkward thrill inside of her chest.

 _"Why he doesn't stop hugging her?"_ Phoebe thought while she was watching them walking together.

Phoebe stood there, holding her books with both hands, as she was staring at them, until they turned by a hallway, then she lost them. When she finally could back her senses, she realized she still had some classes left, so she turned back and walked to the classroom to attend History class. She tried to pay attention to the teacher's topics, but it was too hard for her to concentrate, considering what she just saw minutes ago. She didn't know why she couldn't stop thinking about Max and Cherry being together. But nevertheless, she thought they will be bored soon, and everything would be back to normal.

By telling herself that, the young hero could finally pay attention in class. For some reason the amazing ruins of Mesopotamia seemed less important for her this morning. She loved to study History, but when she really puts her attention on something, she wouldn't have time for anything else. The class almost ended when Phoebe sent a message to Cherry's cellphone:

"Hi bestie, see you at the exit? :)"

Unfortunately, Phoebe kept waiting for her friend's answer, because 40 minutes later, she had no answer yet. History class ended, she was now at the Chemistry Lab, and she frowned when she found herself completely ignored, that's why she was very quiet, the whole class. It was like if she was mad because those two were getting along. But then, Phoebe remembered what happened in the morning. Using her powers to spill the milkshake all over Max was really funny for her. It's not like she was having a hostile attitude with her brother, annoying each other was something they used to do since a long time ago. That's the way they spent some time together, even if they throw things to each other, prank on them, or getting insulted occasionally, they both knew that at the end of the day, they could be laughing at anything, together. It has always been this way. That was their twin thing.

"Phoebe? Phoebe? Are you listening to me?" Sarah said with an annoyed voice.  
"Yeah? Did you say something?" Phoebe asked clearly not involved in the conversation.  
"Yes, you're distracted. What's the matter?" She asked.  
"Nothing is... Max." She hesitated, not knowing what to say.  
"Max? What happened with my love?" Sarah worriedly asked, making Phoebe raise her sight very quickly when she heard that word.  
"Uhmm... he... stole my milkshake" Phoebe replied, trying to hide what she was really thinking about.  
"Aw, what a mischievous boy." Sarah said, with a big smile on her face.

Phoebe was just pretending but she kept very distracted, and she remained like that for the rest of the class. She considered that she could take care of mixing the chemical compounds tomorrow. However, when she was putting her stuff inside of the backpack, she wanted to see if Cherry answered her message, so she took her phone and only a second later, she saw the screen of her MePhone turned on, but there were any notifications there. After she left Chemistry Lab, Phoebe was very more thoughtful. And when she found herself walking at the hallways of Hidenville High, she suddenly started to feel something she hasn't feel since a long time ago, she felt abandoned.

The last time she felt something like that, they were 9 years old. She and Max had to make a project for the "Heroism 1" class, and he chose Christine, a girl he really liked back then in Metroburg Middle School. Phoebe remembered that day the teacher gave them this interesting assignment and Phoebe thought she was going to work with her twin, because even if they used to fight and argue at class, they always ended up doing their homework together. So, she walked to her brother's school chair and she told him about her plan for the homework:

"Max! I have the best idea for the project! I'll ask mom her Electro-puter and..." An exited Phoebe said, before being interrupted.  
"Well I... actually I'm with Christine. She'll go home this afternoon." Max tried to explain, as he lowered his sight and grabbed hi things from the school chair.  
"Christine? Oh... Ok..." Phoebe answered, not being able to end her phrase.

Little Phoebe was very sad when she got home. She didn't left her room for the rest of the day, because she knew Christine was going to be with Max at the living room, and since the homework was an optional team-up, she made her own project alone. And even if her investigation about the antique hero technology wasn't as great as she thought it would be, at the end she could achieve a good grade. She would never admit it, but ever since that day she began to dislike Christine, especially because after she and her brother made that project together, Max began to spent less time with her and more with the blonde girl, making her feel ignored, abandoned, alone. Just like she was feeling right now.

But then, as she was walking to her last class, she tried to think about anything else, anything just to stop having those bitter memories from the past. And being in the middle of her Math class, it seemed like she could finally did it, because as she was stucked between all those math formulas and equations, she suddenly remembered when she and her twin were 5 years old, and they used to spent hours playing together and watching Disney movies, and it was all for Phoebe, because she loved to watch "The Little Mermaid", and Max would never leave her alone. They used to have such a good time until the point of sleeping at the couch of the living room. And some hours later, they were together, sweetly hugging each other, which always put a smile on Hank and Barb's faces every time they discovered them by the morning. And having those memories from the time they were kids, it somehow made her feel better in class. She could even have a little smile when she was trying to focus with her equations.

When the Math class was over, Phoebe was more calmed as she left the classroom. But deep inside her, she still had the good times she used to spend with her twin, when they used to get along and play all day in their old treehouse. But with all those memories flying through her mind, she found herself walking straight to the school's doors. She suddenly remembered what Max said to Cherry some hours ago:

 _"Someone need the clock turn back?"_

And as if he was asking her, inside of her mind, Phoebe melancholically answered.

 _"Yes Max. Of course I do."_

To be continued...


	2. That old trick

Moving the clock hands in order to delay the school's bell was an excellent idea, because Max could gain Cherry's attention before he took her away of her best friend. And as they were walking through the hallways, he could get all the information he needed to know. Cherry told him all the conditions she had to accomplish, in order to have her mom's permission to use the car, but above all, Max confirmed that her car was actually in this country, unlike Wolfgang's. And now, all he had to do was becoming Cherry's best friend, spent some time with her and impress her using his powers, which wasn't very hard for him. Now they were walking to the Spanish class, which curiously matched with Max's schedule.

"Entonces... Cherry, ¿Eres buena en español?" Max asked her in Spanish  
"Me-llamo-Cherry." Cherry answered with certain difficulty  
"Ok I see you're not. I can give you some advices later, if you want." Max suggested.  
"Are you serious? Thanks Max! That subject's really hard for me." Cherry replied, very excited.  
"Not if you follow Max Thunderman's advices." Max said with a brag tone.  
"Sure. Maybe you're right because some days ago, I found out we actually have a Spanish book." The distracted girl replied.

Max could barely hide his laugh after he heard the awkward story told by the blonde who was walking by his side. It was weird for him to talk to her like that, when they shared a word, he normally was annoying her and Phoebe, but now they were talking like old friends. Without a doubt, Max had his priorities being friends with Cherry. Since he knew her when they arrived to Hidenville, she always seemed a little dumb, she used to forget her own birthday, she mistook the correct side to open a door etc. But also, he knew she wasn't a bad person, she's just a little distracted.

And after they walked through the whole school, they finally arrived to the classroom, just before the bell rang. Normally, Max and Cherry took separate seats during class, because Cherry was always seated alongside her friend Kelsey, but this time was different, because after they entered, the new friends seated side by side at the end of the classroom.

"Hey, did you do the homework?" Max said, while he grabbed his notebook out of the backpack.  
"We had homework?" The blonde innocently asked.  
"The page 33 translation." He explained.  
"Oh, I completely forgot about it, if I don't bring it I'll fail." Cherry said, immediately regretting.  
"Here, take mine I made it today at recess. It's easy." He answered, handing her the translation, ready to deliver.  
"Wow! Thanks Max!" The girl exclaimed, receiving the paper in her hands.

Max didn't thought twice when he gave her his homework, bringing the teacher's homework meant nothing for him, he was just trying to avoid getting good grades, but Spanish was so easy for him, that making the final test was enough to pass the subject. But he wanted to have Cherry on his side for his plans. Some minutes later the door was opened and Mr. Hernández entered the classroom. He was Spanish teacher. He was a mexican man in his mid-thirties, with an awkward taste for jackets and horn-rimmed glasses.

"Buenos días clase. ¿Hicieron su tarea?" The teacher said, after he walked to his desk to drop his stuff.

Mr. Hernández began to walk through the school chairs in order to collect his student's homework. Every one of them gave him the translation he assigned them, everyone except for Max, which wasn't well received by the young teacher.

"Thunderman, ¿no trajiste tu traducción?" The teacher questioned him.  
"No, lo siento, mi conejo se comió mi tarea." Max replied with a mocking smile on his face.  
"Quiero que te esfuerces más la próxima vez, ¿okay? No quiero un estudiante flojo en mi clase." The teacher said, before he got back to his desk.

One of the things Max Thunderman hated the most, was when someone assumed something about him without really know him, so he didn't really liked listening his teacher call him lazy in the middle of the class, even if he said that in Spanish, but he decided to ignore it for the moment. The class continued, but as the minutes passed, Max got really bored with Mr. Hernández topics, and not because he couldn't understand his class, but he already knew what he was explaining.

And when he turned to his left and saw Cherry's confused face of not being able to understand what the professor was saying, he decided to do something to end with the torture. So when Mr. Hernández began to call the students to translate some words on the board, Max saw the opportunity he was looking for, so when the teacher called him, Max leaned close to the blonde girl, and said:

"Hey Cherry, wanna see something fun?" The teenager asked, while he was making his classic smirk.  
"Yes." The bored girl answered, dropping her pencil on her desk.

And then, Max stood up and walked to the board to translate what the teacher wrote there. And just because it was Max's turn, he gave him a harder word. However, the young villain had no problem writing the counterpart in English, as soon as he took the marker. The word he had to translate was "sensato".

"Muy bien Max. Ahora ya sé por qué no hiciste tu tarea." The teacher said, after he saw Max's talent.

Max was staring at him again, very challenging this time, because he knew he said that to remark he was too lazy to do his homework, which got him really mad, and before he got back to his seat, Max walked near the teacher's desk and using his heat breath, he blew straight to his laptop, which turned off instantly and began melting in seconds, leaving a dense smoke all over the classroom. In the middle of the chaos, Mr. Hernández quickly said to his students:

"All right class! Everyone leave the room tidily, the class is cancelled! See you this Friday."

Max and Cherry got out of the classroom with the other students immediately, and as they were walking through the hallways Max couldn't contain his laugh anymore, and he turned to Cherry to say:

"So? Funny, right?" He asked her, punching her arm with his elbow.  
"That was amazing! You really know how to have fun." The excited blonde said.  
"Of course, stay close to Max T." He said with a brag tone.

They both kept walking around the school with their backpacks over their shoulder, while far away from them, the janitor entered the classroom carrying an extinguisher. Meanwhile, Max and Cherry kept talking:

"Hey we have thirty minutes left from Spanish class, I don't have more classes afetr that, what about you?" The girl said after she saw her cell phone's clock.  
"Well... let's say I don't" Max carelessly answered.  
"So what are we going to do with such a free time?" Cherry asked.  
"I don't know, what do you say?" He asked.  
"I was thinking about going to the Mall. What do you think?" The blonde said.  
"Sounds cool. What about Hidenville Galleria?" Max suggested.  
"Uhmm... weren't you and Phoebe banned in that place?" A curious Cherry asked.  
"Yeah but, I don't think they'll bother us, I have superpowers remember Cher Cher?" He said with a superior tone of voice.  
"Cher Cher? Hehehe, I liked how it sounds. Well, let's go." The happy blonde replied

And so, the new friends came up with their plan to have fun for the rest of the morning. They went through the hallway that'll lead them to the exit doors, but just before they got there, they walked near the History classroom, oblivious to the fact, that inside of that room, a thoughtful girl of brown eyes and a faded smile, could not stop thinking about one single person. Phoebe was really immersed in her own thoughts, but suddenly, for some reason she put them aside, she raised her sight and turned to the classroom windows, but she couldn't see anything with the blinds closed.

Outside there, the young villain stopped his walk in the middle of the hallway, just in front of those windows. He didn't know exactly why, but without even thinking, he turned to face the same window. Then the blonde got really curious about it:

"Max...? What's wrong?" The fascinated girl questioned.  
"Uhmm... nothing I just... nothing." Max replied, a little confused.

After that, they both walked away from that classroom, and they went straight to Hidenville High's exit in order to go the mall, which was 15 minutes away from there, taking a bus. Almost reaching the courtyards, Max kept talking to Cherry, and she began to tell him the story about her brother's fish. He seemed to be active in the conversation but deep inside him, he knew that his thoughts were in other place, specifically, in other person.

To be continued...


	3. Another blonde

**A. N.:** When I re-watch this episode on T.V., I realized very late that I had a continuity error in my last chapter, which involves the episode's plot. It's no big deal, the only difference is that the class Max and Cherry left, was History, not Spanish as I wrote before so, I'm sorry about that.

* * *

The Hiddenville Galleria wasn't looking that crowded as always, mostly because it is still school hours, and all those stores and shops were visited by only a few persons. But still, from one of those big hallways of the mall, the young villain apprentice was walking alongside a smiling blonde. They were talking about the first thing they came up with. Max was telling her about all the villainies he made back in Metroburg, and Cherry was just laughing out loud, because having super powers seemed really funny for her.

She told him some of her funny stories too, stories from the days before she met the Thunderman twins. She couldn't forget that time when she was attending to archery class, and she took the recurve bow which was destined for the use of the students. But when she pulled the string she couldn't keep it for so long, and she accidentally released the arrow, and it was shot with such a huge strength, that it landed right in the teacher's car tire. It was the main reason she received a very bad grade. That's why she was worried about archery class, not to mention she earned the nickname: "the girl who's horrible at archery" for what happened that day.

When he heard that peculiar story, Max couldn't help but laugh at it, he thought it was really funny. And then, Cherry kept explaining:

"And that's why I think I'll fail the class this semester. I think I'm a little bad for that." Cherry said as she lowered her sight.  
"Nah, I can help you to pass if you want." He answered with a brag tone.  
"Really Max?" The excited girl asked.  
"Yeah. I can hide in the bushes and use my telekinesis to redirect your arrow right to the target." Max explained, trying to end with her concerns.  
"That would be great. You know, I asked Phoebe the same thing but, she didn't agree with the idea." Cherry told him, a little thoughtful.  
"Yeah well... sometimes Phoebe can be a little... nerd." Max replied, thinking twice before speaking.

Max didn't forgot what he planned at school, and if he had to help Cherry to cheat for that class in order to get what he wanted, it would be worth it, besides, he didn't had any problem to use his powers to get her new friend a better grade, he was a future villain, that was normal for him. Lately, he has been able to pay attention to what the girl was telling him, but he frequently thought about what he felt when he walked near the History classroom. He didn't know what it was but he surely remembered he felt the same way several times, and that happened every time his sister was close to him. Something inside him was telling him that there was a high probability that Phoebe was behind those windows, but he refused to believe in this idea.

He was thinking about it when they walked near an ice cream shop, and since that morning has been a little warm, they decided to buy two for them. Max took out his wallet and he faced the girl:

"What's your favorite flavor?" Max asked.  
"Uhmm... Cherry!" The blonde replied, very excited.  
"Why didn't I think of that before...? I'll order yours, Cher-Cher." He told her with a little smile, after he called her like that.  
"Hahaha, I like that nickname." A happy Cherry said.

Max just smiled at her after he heard what she said, and then, he walked to the girl who was attending the shop:

"Hi, I'd like to buy a double cherry ice cream and a double chocolate too, please." Max said while he was looking inside of his wallet.  
"Coming right up." The seller girl nicely replied.

After that, Max and Cherry were waiting while the red headed girl was making their double desserts. And as they were waiting, Max couldn't help but remember that each time he and his twin used to go to a mall or an ice cream shop, they always ordered chocolate, because it was their favorite since they were kids. And with that idea runing through his mind, inside of him, Max seemed to remember something that happened some years ago, because the situation was very similar.

When he and Phoebe were 7 years old, they went to the park with Barb to play, and when the twins saw an ice cream truck that was near from there, they immediately asked Barb some money to buy a pair of ice cream. Once they got what they asked, they ran together to get the truck, which already had some other kids waiting for their turn. And when they finally were in front of the truck, Max didn't had to ask Phoebe what flavor she wanted for her ice cream, cause he knew his little sister very well.

"Sir, I want two double chocolate ice cream, please." Little Max said.  
"Sure, coming up." The man replied before he went to get the ice cream.

Max and Phoebe were impatiently waiting for the man who will give them their precious desserts. Some seconds later, the nice seller gave an ice cream to each twin, and after they paid, they hold their hands and then they walked back with Barb. However, when they were in the half way, Phoebe tripped with a stone and she quickly fell to the ground with the cornet in her right hand, and with that, the two ice cream balls she had were now all over the floor.

"Phoebe? Are you okay?" Max worriedly asked.

But the girl with wavy hair didn't answered, and suddenly the girl's brown eyes started to get wet, and she slowly began to cry there, on the floor. Barb stood up very quick to go for her twins, but she stopped when she saw Max was kneeling next to Phoebe, and he slowly help her to get up, but she was still crying. Fortunately, she didn't had any marks on her knees even if she was wearing a blue dress, but still, she was very upset, and she kept crying for losing her ice cream. And then, Max saw those tears on her sister's face, and at that moment he realized he didn't like to see her like that, and without thinking twice, he told her:

"Phoebe, please don't cry. Look..." He said, trying to calm his sister down.

And then, he raised his left hand to use his telekinesis, and he levitated one of his own ice cream balls. He moved it though the air and he slowly put it on the empty cornet his sister was still holding. After Phoebe saw what he did, eventually she stopped her crying, and her sadness was getting vanished. Now she was more calmed and from that sadness, only a few tears remained on her face. Some moments later, she gave him a little smile, and she said to her brother, very excited:

"Thanks Max! I love you!" Little Phoebe lovingly said.  
"I love you too." Max replied, and right after that, he took her hand again.

After he did that, little Phoebe got close to Max and she gave him a kiss on his cheek. And so, with a simple ice cream in their hands, the twins were walking again, right to the place where the young Barb was, who was watching from the distance everything that happened there, and when she watched them walking hand in hand again, she could only smile of happiness just for seeing all the love her kids had for each other.

But suddenly, Max returned to reality but cutting those memories too, and after he received the ice cream in his hand, he and Cherry continued with their talk, as they were walking through all those good looking stores. However, the young villain was getting distracted from time to time, but now there weren't memories from his chilwood what was inside of his mind, he was now asking himself if wanted to gain Cherry's friendship just to use her car, or if there was something else he didn't see yet. And it was thanks to her that he began clearing his mind, thanks to the blonde girl.

Since he was a kid, Max felt attracted to some of the girls he met in the past. The first one he felt something for was his friend Christine, when he met her at Elementary School in Metroburg. Long after, when they arrived to Hiddenville, he was very interested in Tara Campbell, Cole's sister. And after that, he would temporary date with Veronica, the school choir girl. But it was very interesting that all of these girls were blondes. For some reason Max was always attracted to blonde girls, and it was something he never cared to think about. It was like if being near to them, they would make him feel comfortable, and Cherry was not an exception. He didn't have any problem to talk to her, or being close to her. His mind would never betray him like it did some other times, and he didn't get nervous like he did with...

" _... with, Phoebe?_ " Max thought, very confused.

And even if in the outside he seemed to go just for the golden haired girls, deep down Max knew the real reason for that, he was just too scared to admit it, no matter if he did it inside of his mind. He has never dated a brunette girl, and if they had wavy hair or brown eyes, it was just another reason for not having a relationship with them. Deep down, he knew that each time he felt attracted to any girl, he would avoid dating a girl that had this simple features.

" _Why?_ " He asked himself, without being able to answer his own question.

Deep down, he knew he would never feel good if he dated someone like that. Because in his heart, he perfectly knew that what he always tried to avoid, was to find someone who looked exactly like his twin sister, Phoebe, who was now getting a big part in Max's thoughts.

As for the ice cream in his hand, now it was only a fragment of the cornet. He ate it without even notice it, because as he was talking with Cherry, he kept immersed in his mind, but for everyone else, he seemed to be paying attention to what the girl was saying. At that very moment, Max turned to face Cherry, and he finally realized why he was so obsessed with blonde girls. And completely astonished, he could only say to himself.

"She's just... another blonde." Max thought, while he sighed with lowered eyes.

And as they were walking through the big and elegant hallways from the Galleria, all those thoughts Max was having, were interrupted when he heard a familiar voice coming from behind, and it suddenly called him.

To be continued...


	4. What are you thinking?

After he heard that voice, a hand was suddenly placed on Max's shoulder, which made him turn around immediately, just to find a tall and robust guy in front of him. His faultless uniform was indicating that he was no one else but the mall's security guard. Cherry reacted at the same time and she turned to face the man too, confused by the situation.

"Hey kid, I think I know you." The man said, as he was coldly watching him.  
"Excuse me?" Max asked, apparently unknowing who was talking to him.  
"Yeah, it's you. I told you and your sister were banned from this store." The guard said without stop looking him.  
"Uhmm... I think you've got me confused with someone else." The teenager replied with a mocking smile.

Max actually knew who this person was, he was the same guard who busted him taking the coins out of the mall's fountain a year ago, the same who wrongly blamed Phoebe, believing she had stolen from Sarah Finn store. He was the same guard who abruptly kicked them out of the mall and got them banned for life. He remembered that day, due to the events, he couldn't do anything to stand up for them. And it's not that he cared about being accused of robbery, because as a villain, it wasn't important for him. What he didn't liked at that moment, was the fact that he did the same to his sister.

And without even knowing it, from all of the days, today he had the opportunity to take his little revenge, and he wasn't going to waste it. So, Max paid attention to the place around him, trying to find something he could use, and right after that, he saw the number 205 on the guy's badge. For Max it seemed very ridiculous to have that thing on the chest, as if he was part of a cattle marked with numbers. It was something he wouldn't like to be part of. But the officer, thinking he was distracted, he kept questioning him.

"You know what banned means, right? It means you and your sister can't get inside here, except for this lady. But you need to leave." The man said, pointing the exit with his thumb.  
"Okay, you got me, but you know what?" Max answered, trying to get more time.  
"What?" The man asked.  
"Before you take me out, you have to dodge the billboard first." Max said at the same time he moved his index and medium fingers to use his telekinesis.  
"Dodge what?" The guard tried to say...

He couldn't finish his sentence because suddenly, one of those big billboards fell from a high place and landed right on the security guard, quickly throwing him to the floor. Max could make a fast backward move along with Cherry, and when he saw that guy on the floor, he finally got the advantage he was looking for. Now, there was only one thing to do.

"Run!" Max yelled at the blonde as he pulled from her wrist.

They ran away as fast as they could leaving the security guard behind, who immediately tried to stand up and then he ran after them among the galleria's big hallways. At one point, Max turned behind him and at the distance, he saw the guy running with all his strengths, he was definitely not going to give up, so as he ran with Cherry, he tried to think something.

They left a lot of stores behind them, and at the distance, Max could see a big bubble gum machine, and when they passed close to it, he quickly moved his hand and using his power, he threw out hundreds of candies and then they got spread all over the floor, and the officer slipped when he arrived there, which made him fall to the floor once again.

No matter how many times he tried to stood up, the poor officer couldn't stand with all those dangerous candies spread on the floor. Far away from there, Max and Cherry looked behind them and they couldn't help but laugh with such a funny scene. When they could finally take control of his laughs, the blonde girl spoke:

"That was awesome Max! As I said, you really know how to have fun." A very excited Cherry said.  
"Of course Cher-Cher." The young super villain answered.  
"It's great to have powers!" The blonde said, without fading her smile.

And then, they put their fist together, and at the same time they said:

"Superpowers!" Max and Cherry exclaimed, just before they simulated an explosion as they separated their hands.

But right after that, there was a voice that cut off their celebration:

"Come back here you punks!" The guard yelled, shaking his hand in the air.

Immediately, both teenagers ran all the way until they crossed the entire mall. They quickly walked up through some electric stairs, and just when they got really far from their pursuer, the teens could finally have the opportunity to stop and find a place to take some rest, and they found the perfect place next to the elevators.

They stayed there for about 15 minutes, just talking and laughing on what happened on the lower floors. Max tried to remember the last time he got that kind of fun by playing with his powers, but it was difficult for him. Normally, he didn't use his telekinesis in public, and when he did, it was always against his sister. Some time ago, he and Phoebe could still have some funny days, pranking on each other, going somewhere without anyone else, or those days where they were forced to work together in order to solve a problem.

However, he wasn't very close to his sister lately, not as before, because with The Hero League and her boyfriend Link, he could barely see her in the house. He used to pretend he didn't care, and he was very happy without seeing her every day, but it was not true. He began to ask himself if that was the reason he wanted to be friends with Cherry, and spend some time with her instead of Phoebe.

And now he was there, with his sister's best friend, walking through all the stores from the third floor. Cherry was checking out the showcases and as they walked, Max found himself thinking about Phoebe, once again. Was he missing her? He surely was having a good time at the mall with Cherry, but for some reason his mind always put the same person inside of his thoughts; his twin sister. He was so lost thinking about her, that he hadn't noticed a voice that was talking to him.

"Max? Max..." The girl insisted, trying to have his attention.  
"Uhm? Yeah?" Max replied, slightly confused.  
"What are you thinking?" Cherry curiously asked.  
"Phoe... Phoe... fibble!"He said trying to fix was he was about to tell.  
"Fibble?" The blonde girl asked, not understanding what he meant.  
"That guard... he was very feeble and... That's why he couldn't catch us." He could barely explain.  
"Oh, you're right. We almost escaped from him by walking. Hehehe." Cherry said, joking about it.

The villain apprentice pretended he was laughing with her, but he felt an actual relief, because the girl didn't suspected what he was going to say. They kept with their walk till they got close to a store, and they stopped there to buy some chips for them, after that, they took a seat near the 3th floor border. Now the mall was getting more crowded compared with the amount of people they saw before, due to the current time. They were eating their chips but all of a sudden, they heard some commotion at the distance, and they looked from one side to the other trying to find what was going out but they didn't see anything. But then, without leaving the seat, they leaned on the backrests and looked to the lower floors. They could see at least 6 security guards spread all over the mall, and they were walking around with radios in their hands, as if they were looking for someone. For Max, it was very obvious they were the only targets, so after seeing the situation, he wanted to have more fun.

"I think they're looking for us." Max informed the girl.  
"What if they find us?" Cherry asked, a little worried.  
"Don't worry, I got this." The boy answered with a brag tone.

Max looked around him and when he was sure nobody was watching him, he pointed his hand and with a single mode of his finger, he dropped one of the officer's radios, and it got broken into several pieces. Right after, he looked to his right and near the electric stairs, he saw two guards were about to use them, so he focused his telekinesis to make them fall just before they could put a foot on the stairs.

Cherry was laughing out loud with all the pranks his friend has playing on the brave security officers, she would never have thought about using those powers to have this kind of fun, this was all new for her. In the other hand, Max decided they hadn't had enough so, after he looked to his left, he saw two guys that were walking to the guy who dropped his radio, and shooting a telekinetic wave with his hand, Max thrown two trash cans right in front of them, causing them to become very confused, because they didn't understand what was happening.

Max couldn't fade the smirk on his face, and just when he thought he has done, he finally spotted the guy who chased them some minutes ago, who was now looking everywhere, trying to find them. Just then, Max spoke to the blonde:

"Hey Cher-Cher... check this out."

And with a simple hand movement, Max pulled down the guy's pants, causing the poor officer to fell down once again, which made the teenager's laughs uncontrollable. However, they laughed so hard and with all that noise, the guard could finally see the two teenagers up in the third floor, while he was on the ground. So he did the best he could to stand up, pulling up his pants, and then he ran straight to the elevators, while using his radio to ask for reinforcements.

Max realized what he planned, and before the man could get in the elevator, he used his powers to throw another trash can, which prevented him to get in there. However, his movement didn't work, because in only a few seconds, some guards were running by the second floor's stairs, ready to catch them, so, Max and Cherry couldn't do anything else, and they abandoned the place, running as fast as they could, and leaving their chips behind.

Fortunately, there was an emergency exit near to them, and the teenagers could use it, in their attempts to escape from the officers. Behind that door, it was very hard for them to hold their laughs, and when they walked down the stairs, they found a door that led them outside of the mall. All they had to do now, was to use those fire escape ladders. When they realized that nobody was behind them, the teenagers were able to move with more calm.

"¡I've never been in a persecution! ¡Max, this was so cool!" Cherry exclaimed, very excited about what just happened.  
"Yeah well, I think that guy finally got what he deserved." Max answered, while he remembered the moment where he and his sister were banned for life.  
"Hey, I don't think we can get in there again, maybe we should go." Cherry suggested.  
"Yeah, you're right. Hey, why don't you come with me? we have some popcorns, I can make them with my powers." He suggested his friend.  
"Great! I really wanna see you heat spitting them." The girl said with a big smile.  
"Sure. Let's clap it out Cher-Cher!" Max said, offering his own hand.

They got face to face and started to shake their hands a couple times, right before they say at the same time while snapping their fingers:

"One, two, three, four! M & C strike again!"

They put their fists together as if they were joining forces, and right before that, they laughed due to their secret handshake.

And as they walked through the big galleria's parking lot, Max Thunderman couldn't help but think that he spent a lot of time with Cherry, another blonde girl, and even if he felt very comfortable about her, he never thought about being her friend before, and maybe that's why he had a really good time with her. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter how much he tried to ignore it, in all those hours he spent with her, there was nothing that could possibly be better than the moments he used to share with his sister, because even with all those silly attempts for annoying each other, there was no other person they could be better with, other than themselves, and Max knows this perfectly.

When they got the sidewalk where they had to wait for the bus that will take them back to his house, Max could finally understand why having a very good day with his new friend was not what he thought it would be, because nothing could be better that spending time with Phoebe, and it doesn't matter if they fight all the time, he knew she'd always be there for him. With that, Max could only say to himself:

 _"No... It's not the same."_ He thought with a serious expression on his face.

To be continued...


	5. I miss you

It has been a quiet and sunny day in the city. And out of nowhere, the bell rang all around Hidenville high, which meant the last class of the day was over. Now, a lot of students were walking out of the building, by the school's main door. We could hear the normal noises from any school, there were laughs, funny comments, one scream or two. But curiously, among all of them, there was a girl with dark brown hair and a faded smile, who was trying to make her way through the crowd, with a serious look on her face and sunk in her thoughts.

She could barely feel the soft air that moved some hair locks in front of her face. But all those memories from her childhood with Max, were the only thing that could calm that feeling of abandonment she had when she saw her brother walking next to Cherry. And now that she didn't had to deal with the pressure of her classes, that feeling she lost some hours ago, now seems to come back. When she was slowly walking through the school yard, it was hard for her to listen her friend Ashley:

"Phoebe... ¡Phoebe!" The girl yelled when she saw her at the distance.  
"Uh? Did you say something?" Phoebe replied, evidently confused.  
"Yes, I created a study group at the library, Tyler and Sarah will be there. Wanna go?" The kind girl asked.  
"Uhm... I don't know, I don't think I can, I have some things to do, but I hope you have fun at the party." Phoebe replied, bewildered, without fully understand what she just heard.  
"Party? What party...?" She asked, confused with what her friend said.  
"See you." Phoebe said her farewells and kept walking through the school yard.

She went to the main yard's benches and stopped there for a minute. Normally, when the classes finish, she and Cherry used to meet near those benches, and then they walked to her house together, but this time, Phoebe's distracted friend was nowhere to be seen. She then grabbed her MePhone but realized that she didn't answer her last message, the one she sent some hours ago. And so, after 15 minutes of waiting, Phoebe decided to get back home, all alone.

Walking alone never scared her, she was a future super hero after all. She just preferred to talk to someone while she was on her way home.

The Thunderman residence was a few blocks away from Hidenville High, that's why the girl took her own path, using the sidewalk that connected both places. She just had to walk for 20 minutes, maybe 30 and she will be arriving to her house. But as she walked, she took her phone again to check the screen and... Nothing, 0 new messages, so she put it in her pocket and continued with her walk.

She tried to clear her mind and think about anything else, but it was too hard for her. She even started to ask herself if refusing to use her powers to help Cherry was the right thing to do. She realized she couldn't blame her friend for trying to use them. Her powers may be something normal for Phoebe because she born with those abilities, but Cherry was a different story. She would've never imagine those powers could actually exist, and being aware that her best friend had this powers, was something she couldn't ignore. But...

"Max..." Phoebe thought.

She couldn't understand why she got so mad after she saw her brother so close to her friend. Was she jealous? Angry? Phoebe wasn't able to answer her own question. But when the young hero walked into the central area of Hidenville, it was very clear for her that all the time she spent buried in her thoughts during class, had nothing to do with being mad with her friend for trying to use her powers for her own good. It was because Max's behavior had an impact on her, somehow, and she had no explanation for it.

As she walked through all those stores and small companies, she walked by a candy shop and she stopped there to see all the cupcakes and candies they were showing to the public. But when she carefully saw the showcase, she could not believe what her eyes were watching. In front of her, they had one of her favorite candies from Metroburg, some chocolate bars called "Twix".

These bars were made of biscuit applied with caramel and all covered with chocolate. But the important thing about these bars was the fact that they were always packed with 2 identical bars. Suddenly, she remembered when she and Max were kids. The days where the twins enjoyed buying these chocolates after school, to later eat their half at home together. And it doesn't matter if they were mad at each other for some reason, or if one of them wasn't in the house at that moment, Max and Phoebe used to keep the last bar for the other, no matter if a starving Hank Thunderman was always trying to eat the last one. At the end of the day, the twins always had their chocolate bar.

Without a doubt, it was the perfect chocolate for twins.

Phoebe couldn't believe that these chocolates were being sold in Hiddenville, because she hasn't seen them since they moved. Phoebe could not help but having those cute memories inside her mind. She will never forget the day she felt sick at school, they were just beginning Middle School and they had to call Barb to take her to a doctor. It wasn't anything serious; she just had some slightly Flamingo Flu symptoms. After Phoebe had her vaccine, she and Barb went to get some books from the library, and by the afternoon, when they went to the house, Max was waiting for her in the living room. And when he saw his sister crossing the door, he quickly ran to hug her, which made Phoebe forget about the little ache she was feeling in her arm.

Some hours later, after the dinner, Phoebe seated on their room's floor, reading one of the books she brought from the library. Suddenly, Max walked into the room.

"Hey Phoebe." Max said.  
"Hey what." Little Phoebe said with a smile on her face.  
"Dad told me you couldn't eat candies before dinner, because of the vaccine and everything. So I brought this..." Max explained, and after that, he took out something form his pocket.  
"A Twix! Thank you Max!" Phoebe exclaimed, very excited.  
"We share it? He asked.  
"Of course! Just like always." She stated.  
"Cool!" Max said, and then he handed her the chocolate.  
"Hey but... why didn't you eat your half?" The curious girl asked.  
"Oh I just... I just... I was waiting for you to eat it together." Max answered, lowering his eyes while talking.

A sweet smile was drawn on the girl's face, the same smile that was now reflecting on the store's showcase. A sigh was the only thing that could end with that beautiful memory from her childhood. At that moment, Phoebe considered getting in the store and buying one of those Twix, just like old times, but something inside her was stopping her. Actually, she couldn't even get in the store, so she slowly turned around and kept walking.

Her house was just a few blocks away from there, when all of a sudden; she heard her cell phone alert. She immediately took it out of her pocket, and she saw the screen saying: "New message from: Link". But for some reason, Phoebe never opened the message, and she put the phone in her pocket instead. The rest of her walk, a big part of her thoughts was occupied by one person, and she didn't realize that this person was not exactly her boyfriend Link. She couldn't understand what was happening between Max and her friend, but in time, she convinced herself that what Max was doing won't last long, and soon he'll get back to normal.

But that wasn't all she wanted, cause since a long time ago she felt she had lost the Max she grew up with in Metroburg. Perhaps she was jealous, maybe that's why she stared them while they walked away from her, maybe that's why she didn't stop thinking about him during class. Maybe that's why she ignored her boyfriend's message, maybe that's why she didn't want to buy the chocolate, because she didn't want to eat it without her twin. But she was very sure about something; she was upset for not having Max, her Max from her childhood, the one she inevitably missed.

Some minutes later, when the girl arrived to her house, she slowly walked through the front yard, and just before spinning the door knob, she couldn't help but think:

"I miss you."

And after a big sigh, Phoebe entered the house and he found her little siblings watching TV, in the middle of the disaster that once was known as the living room. After the kids told her their secret plan for the day, Phoebe walked to her room, but she heard some voices at the kitchen and she went to see what was going on.

"Heat spit! Heat spit! Heat spit!" A well-known voice was yelling over and over.

Max and Cherry were together again, and they were playing with a popcorn bag. When Phoebe saw this, she tried to fake the best of her smiles, and went there to say hi.

"Hey Cherry! There you are, I thought we were gonna walk home from school together."

The End.


End file.
